


Returning To Thy Roots

by M_W101



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Freeform, Jebbie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-23 05:05:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16152200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_W101/pseuds/M_W101
Summary: As Debbie Dingle goes about her life quite ordinarily, a blast from the past has her questioning everything she plans for her future and tests her loyalty to her soon to be husband.





	1. You & Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I’ve never written for Emmerdale before but after a long break from writing fan fiction as a whole, I’m getting right back in the swing of things. So I was getting all nostalgic after seeing the trailer for ‘The Cry’ and because I wasn’t overly familiar with Jenna’s previous roles (except for Doctor Who) I went to YouTube and binge watched a playlist of old Emmerdale clips from when Jenna was on the show and from there, nostalgia basically took over. I knew from that last clip of her final scene in 2009 that I wanted to write a reunion for ‘Jebbie’ since we’ll never get it on TV. It’s loosely based on the current/recent events happening on the show but not entirely 100% true to it but hey, that’s why it says freeform. I’ve already planned out the first few chapters and i’ll try and update as regularly as possible :)

Chapter One

The usual morning rush today was very much that - a rush. Debbie felt like she had a million things to do. The school run, making about a dozen calls, Charity had asked if she’d pop round to the Woolpack that day and she and Joe were supposed to be signing the pre-nuptial agreement at some point.

“Sarah come on sweetheart, I need to get Jack to school” Debbie hollered up the stairs whilst fixing up her son’s book bag. 

The sound of approaching footsteps indicated that Sarah had come downstairs and was loitering in the doorway. 

“Where’s Joe?” asked Sarah. 

Debbie kept her attention on tying Jack’s shoelaces as she gave her answer. 

“Some business meeting or something, why?”

Sarah merely shrugged, her question had simply been out of curiosity. She’d usually see her mum’s boyfriend at some point in the morning before he had to attend to whatever was on his itinerary. 

Debbie stood up, grabbing the book bag, her own coat and Jack’s. 

“Right come on, grab your coat. Are you coming with me to drop Jack or do you want dropping off at the pub so you can see your nan and Moses?”

Sarah reached unenthusiastically for her coat and turned back to her mother “might as well drop me off at nans I suppose. Didn’t you say you needed to see her anyway?”

“Er yeah” Debbie replied “I need to take Jack first though. It’ll be a quick in and out when I drop you and then I’ll pop round properly on my way back”

The three left the house and began the short walk to the pub which had become an all to familiar drinking establishment to the residents of Emmerdale. 

 

*******************************************

 

They’d only been strolling for a mere few minutes before inevitably they were held up. 

“Debs! Debs!” called the voice of one Cain Dingle. 

Debbie sighed and turned to face her dad. 

“Dad I cant stop I’ve got to get Jack to school” 

Cain waved her down “I won’t keep you, I just wondered how your mum’s getting on. I haven’t really spoken to her since Bails got sent down”

“She’s doing alright” Debbie assured “she’s got Vanessa keeping her going. Look I really have got to get going so I can get this one to school and get back to see mum and Faith”

Cain raised an eyebrow as an idea occurred to him “why don’t I take him to school, that way you can go straight to the woolpack...if that’s ok with you?” 

Debbie took a minute to mull over the offer but eventually gave a nod of agreement and handed over the book bag to her father. 

“Right Jack” she said softly, turning down toward her son “Grandad is going to take you to school okay. I’ll come and pick you up later on sweetheart. Be good”

She quickly placed a kiss on her son’s forehead and turned back to her dad and Sarah. 

“Make sure you text me as soon as you’ve dropped him off, okay?” 

Cain nodded “give your mum my best anyway” 

“Will do” Debbie retorted “come on Sarah” 

They’d gotten only a few hundred yards down the main road and Debbie stopped dead in her tracks, staring directly ahead of her as a face from the past seemed to stare back at her....but it couldn’t be....not her....surely?

“ _MUM!”_

She snapped back to reality as Sarah hollered at her. 

“Sorry darling, I thought I saw...” trailing off before finishing her sentence. 

They continued walking the last stretch towards the pub but Debbie couldn’t get the image out of her head. She was sure she’d seen someone from her past. She’d seen her. Jasmine.

 

*******************************************

 

“Alright Debs” Charity beamed as she entered the pub with Sarah “where’s Jack?”

Debbie knew she wouldn’t approve of the answer but went for it anyway.

“I saw dad on the way here, he offered to take Jack to school so I could come and see how you’re doing....erm is Faith here by any chance?”

Charity rolled her eyes “you’ve got more trust in him than I have babes but in answer to your question, yeah Faith’s in the back room...why?”

“Can you ask her to erm....” she hesitated “...to take Sarah to the cafe for a bit...I need to talk to you about something”

Sarah scowled, feeling like she was being palmed off yet again.

The tension was broken quickly by Faith’s presence at the bar.

“Flipping ‘eck your ears must’ve been burning” Charity mused towards the older woman “listen are you okay to take Sarah for a hot chocolate and a donut or something? Me and Debs need to have a chat”

Faith smiled and pulled her coat and bag from behind her.

“Come on then missy, let’s go and get some grub eh?” she said in the direction of Sarah and together they made their way out of the pub.

Charity gestured towards the back room “let’s have a chat”

Debbie slowly made her way into the more homely part of the village drinking house.

“So?” Charity offered softly “what’s up that you needed to talk to me without Sarah here?...”

Debbie looked nervously at her mother, trying to find the words to explain what she was going through her mind at that moment.

“When I was walking with Sarah...after dad had taken Jack for me....something happened...I thought I saw someone...someone that couldn’t possibly have been there.. and now I don’t know whether I’m seeing things or....”

Charity looked calmly at her, placing her own hand on top of hers.

“Who did you see Debs?” she asked.

Debbie slowly inhaled and closed her eyes.

“I saw her mum...I saw Jasmine”

 

*******************************************

 

There was every possibility that Debbie could have seen Jasmine. It seemed somewhat unlikely but nobody could deny, it wasn’t impossible by any stretch of the imagination. There was the equal possibility that she really had just seen something that wasn’t really there. Pre-nuptial stress could and probably would do that to you if left to it’s own devices.

Perhaps part of Debbie really had wanted it to be true. Despite the time that had passed and the relationships that had unfolded in that time, part of her had always belonged to Jasmine, the first person she had ever really fallen properly in love with.

If she really had seen Jasmine earlier that day and it wasn’t her imagination, it begged the question of why now. Why had she potentially waited the nearly six years since her release from prison to try and reach out to her? Did Laurel know about this? Had she been back for a while and Laurel had kept it hidden from her?

“No no no hang on a second” Charity exclaimed, snapping Debbie promptly out of her headspace “you think you saw your ex girlfriend who’s been been out of lock up for nearly eight years and who you haven’t actually had any communication with for nearly a decade?”

Debbie simply sighed and hid her head behind her arms.

“Darling I don’t want to take away your hope or anything” Charity tried “I think that maybe you saw what you a part of you wanted to see deep down. I mean you’re an adult Debs and I’m not going to try and tell you to just forget about it. If you want to try and find Jasmine then that’s your choice and I’ll support you one hundred percent. What I will say is don’t give yourself any false hope or expectations okay?”

Debbie slowly dropped her arms onto the table, inhaling heavily.

“I don’t know what to do, mum” she admitted “if she really is back, I’ll end up breaking Joe’s heart because how am I supposed to marry him when I know that I’ll want to run straight to  her?”

The older Dingle held her hand up as if to indicate a pause.

“Debs don’t you think you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself yeah? Don’t think about doing anything like that till you actually know for sure, right?”

Debbie had to admit defeat, for now she had truly hit an impasse but it wasn’t going to stop her.

“Suppose....” she began “suppose she really has come back though....what would you do in my shoes?”

Charity smiled. One of those rare times when she knew she had the right, meaningful answer to give for somebody else’s problems.

“Sweetheart. You have to do what’s right for you. If you’ve got a chance to have the people around you that you truly want, take it Debs and don’t let go for anything. Look at me, I’m practically the poster girl for missed opportunities aren’t I? One thing I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to reconnect with the people you love”

Debbie looked at her mum with a sense of relief. Sometimes Charity would provide exactly the words that she needed to hear, other times she made her daughter want to tear her hair out. Now she knew what she wanted to do. What she needed to do. She was going to find Jasmine.

 

_Epilogue_

 

She’d seen her. _Oh_ _god_ she’d seen her. She wasn’t supposed to have seen her. Nobody knew she was here and nobody was supposed to know. And she was getting married to some rich ‘Jack the lad’ type. Although, that was probably a step up from the likes of Eli.

It’d only been for a second. Maybe Debbie would pass it off as her just seeing things? She would, _wouldn’t_ she? She had to see her properly. She still loved her and she knew that deep down, Debbie still loved her too. They’d made a promise to each other.

 _Forever_.


	2. The Things We Leave Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate to find a clue to lead her towards finding Jasmine, Debbie reconnects with Laurel but begins to doubt her relationship with Joe....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Hurrah! So this is less ‘storytelling’ and more placing the dots and beginning to connect them so it doesn’t read like your traditional chapter but bear with me okay, we’ll be back to the usual stuff in chapter 3. I’m enjoying writing again and I keep going back to the Jebbie playlist on YouTube for bits of inspiration and i’ll start to work with the ongoing storyline with the Dingles/Chas & Paddy etc in the background in the next couple of instalments of this story. Please do leave comments - constructive criticisms, suggestions for additional narrative points etc :)

Chapter Two

 

“ _Debbie I knew we’d be forever. And we are, in here we are”_

Those were the words that Jasmine would always remember speaking. The last words she’d spoken to the woman she loved all those years ago. Most would say it’s amazing how much things change in that amount of time, except that nothing really had changed. Not for her. 

Nearly a decade & one failed marriage later, the realisation hit home that her feelings towards Debbie were just as real now as they had been then. They probably always had been if Jasmine was being honest with herself. Many a dark day in that cell were spent filled with regret & loneliness because of what she’d asked of Debbie. She really had thought it was for the best at the time and in a way, it had been. 

Prison had left its mark on her life in more ways than one. The scars that could be seen and those that couldn’t had shaped the life she’d formed for herself after re-entering society. She wasn’t built for that life, she never had been. If there was one thing that being sent to prison had taught her, it was the value of freedom. Nothing was ever going to bring Shane back, the real punishment was living with the knowledge that she’d taken his life in cold blood. 

The only thing more regrettable than the guilt of causing Shane’s death was the heartbreak of pushing away the person she cared about more than anything in this world. It hurt even more as Jasmine observed the ring that remained on her finger. A gold band with an amber gemstone. She knew Debbie still had hers and judging by the photos she’d seen on her social media pages, she still wore it. 

Regardless of the current circumstances, there was no choice for her now. She had to try and reach out to Debbie. To make up for time lost. Running away and burying her head in the sand wasn’t an option anymore. 

“I’m going to make this right. I promise” 

 

*******************************************

 

 _BZZZZZ_ , _BZZZZZZ_.

Debbie began to stir from her slumber as she felt the wood of her bedside table vibrating from her phone. She slowly took out the charger and put it to her ear. 

“Erlloooo” 

A familiar voice came down the other end of the line. 

“Are you seriously telling me that you’ve only just woken up?” Joe chuckled. 

Debbie sighed deeply, expelling the excess tiredness from within. 

“Wait...” she yawned “what time is it?” 

Joe laughed again “wow you really must have been tired. It’s half past ten”

Debbie threw the covers off herself at an alarming speed at the realisation that she’d massively overslept.

“Oh god, where are Sarah and Jack? You didn’t leave them on their own did you?” she cautioned, the worry very clear in her tone. 

“Relax” Joe replied assuringly “Sarah’s spending some time with Cain, he called you before I left but you were dead to the world so I had Graham drive her over. Charity is looking after Jack for you. She came round to see if you were okay and I quote _after_ _yesterday_ and took him over to the pub. It’s the weekend after all, you deserved a lie in” 

Debbie’s eyes widened in panic. Had Charity told Joe about what they’d discussed?

“Erm....” she mumbled “did my mum say anything else to you about me?” 

There was a brief pause whilst voices muffled in the background of the call. 

“No, nothing” Joe confessed “just said that she’d spoken to you yesterday and wanted to know if you were ok....anything I need to be concerned about?” 

Debbie silently breathed a sigh of relief before continuing. 

“Oh no I just went a bit mad yesterday about making sure we get the invite cards printed as soon as. You know how I am with getting stuff done and out of the way” she replied. 

“Right...” Joe retorted, not sounding entirely convinced “are you sure it wasn’t about Sarah and the hospital? I understand if you don’t want to talk to me about it” 

She could feel her eyes rolling and almost felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn’t Joe’s fault, none of this was but in truth, he was unknowingly making everything just that bit more difficult by pressing her to talk to him about anything and everything and that was without the stuff about Jasmine. 

“I’m fine honestly. Look I’ve got stuff to sort out. We’ll talk later okay. Gotta go” 

She hung up without saying another word and threw her phone down beside her. She couldn’t handle any of his shenanigans right now. Even extending to wedding planning. There was enough going on in her life without that. There was only one thing, one person on her mind and she knew who she had to speak to if she was going to get some answers. Laurel. 

 

*******************************************

 

The walk towards the house that she’d once called home with Ashley, Laurel and Jasmine felt like an eternity today, as if her feet and her mind wanted to go two separate ways. There was a sad irony there really.

Eventually, she reached the house and climbed the few steps to the door, pulling back its bronze knocker. 

“Just one second” Laurel’s muffled voice came from the other side of the oak.

A rush of warm air came as the door swung open, revealing an apron clad Laurel. 

“D....Debbie?” she exclaimed, clearly not expecting the younger woman’s being the one on her doorstep.

Debbie tried an encouraging smile. 

Laurel was silent for a second until snapping back to reality. 

“Come on in” she said, reciprocating Debbie’s smile and leading the way into the big, rather empty looking house. It was hard to believe she’d once lived here, now it felt completely unfamiliar. So much was missing. 

“I hope you don’t mind me calling round like this” Debbie said hesitantly. Her relationship had been distant with the Thomas family since Jasmine had ceased contact with her and them. 

Laurel stared ahead for a brief moment before turning and acknowledging Debbie.

“Sweetheart, you’re always welcome in this house” she offered in a friendly tone “so what can I do for you?” 

Debbie composed herself and prepared her words, taking a deep and steady breath before speaking. 

“I want to talk to you about Jasmine” 

 

_____________

 

Laurel froze at the sound of her step niece’s name. She was a memory that she couldn’t bear to bring to the forefront of her mind. Poor Ashley had never gotten a chance to say goodbye to the girl who’d become almost a daughter to them before his untimely passing. He’d very briefly spoken of her in his final days, muttering about her as if she was there with them because of his dementia.

“Debbie....” her voice faltered “it’s been years....why drag all that up now?” 

Except this wasn’t about the past. Not anymore. This was now. 

Debbie sighed “I don’t mean about what happened back then. It’s about something that happened recently” 

Now Laurel appeared extremely confused and rightfully so, as far as she was concerned Jasmine had all but disappeared from the face of the Earth. It put into question whether or not Debbie really had seen her. 

“Well what do you mean by that?” queried Laurel. 

Debbie looked down at her feet and quickly back up. 

“Yesterday...” she replied quietly “...I was out walking. I could sense someone watching me from a distance and I saw who it was, just for a split second......Laurel it was Jasmine. She’s back” 

The older woman looked visibly taken aback at the statement. Nearly ten years and Jasmine had finally come home? 

Laurel shook her head in denial “no, no, no she can’t be. Debbie why would she come back now? Think about it. It doesn’t make any sense. I mean, can you even be sure it wasn’t your mind playing tricks on you? It’s very easily done. Maybe it was just someone that looked a bit like her?” 

Now it was Debbie shaking her head. Laurel clearly wasn’t buying it and if she was being honest with herself, she’d expected nothing less. It was bound to be difficult for her to get to grips with the possibility, especially after almost a decade of radio silence. 

“I know who I saw Laurel” she remarked “I need to know if you’ve got any contact details for her or any of her friends. I have to find her. Please” 

Laurel slumped herself down on the sofa and rested her head in both hands. 

“Debbie” she mumbled “I don’t know who she kept in contact with after she got out, if anyone. I’ll give you what little information I have but I can’t imagine it’ll do you much good” 

Debbie nodded in appreciation. Even if it turned up nothing new, it was a step in the right direction. 

Laurel got up and headed to the bookcase under the stairs, pulling out a small black notebook from within. She turned and passed the notebook to Debbie. 

“Names and numbers of some of her old friends that I contacted a while back to try and track her down. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did” she admitted. 

Debbie scanned the list of various names, some familiar and some not until she hit one very unexpected & familiar name. 

 _Eli_ _Dingle_ \- _07595674503_

Debbie looked puzzlingly at Laurel who seemed oblivious to what the younger woman had seen. 

“Erm....this is Eli’s phone number?” she asked. 

Laurel nodded “yeah I managed to find it from Darren, apparently they’ve kept in touch over the years” 

The confusion was quite clear in Debbie’s facial expression “why would you think Eli might know where she is?” 

“Because” Laurel replied “I spoke to Eli a few years ago and he told me that Jasmine had reached out to him on a few occasions asking how you, myself and Ashley were getting on. She still cared Debbie. She still loved us but you can understand that she wanted us to move on with our lives” 

Debbie couldn’t help but smile softly at the notion that Jasmine had kept tabs on her even after everything that had transpired. Hopefully Eli would be able to point her in the right direction now. 

“Thank you for this” Debbie croaked as she held up the notebook, fighting back the inevitable tears. 

Laurel reached out and placed her hand on Debbie’s arm and looked her fully in the eye for the first time since she’d arrived. 

“You’re a lovely young woman Debbie and I know how happy you made Jasmine when you were together. If you find her, bring her home” 

 

*******************************************

 

Debbie strolled slowly toward the woolpack, head buried in her phone as she typed some of the numbers into her phone book. Most of them could wait until she got there but given the circumstances, it was probably best to take a detour while she tried to get hold of Eli. 

She took a seat on one of the swings and put the phone to her ear. 

“ _Alright you’ve reached Eli Dingle. Leave us a message or summat an i’ll get back t’ya”_

Whilst it was typical of Eli to not answer his phone, something that had clearly not changed, it was at least a step closer knowing that the number was still in service.

“Eli...it’s Debbie. I got your number from Laurel, I don’t know if you remember her. Listen I could do with talking to you about Jasmine and what you know about her these days. If you could call me back, the sooner the better. Thanks” 

All that remained now was waiting, hoping that something would lead her to the next step and eventually, to Jasmine. 


	3. Unearthed [Part One]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Debbie’s search for answers begins with help from an unlikely source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this addition has taken so long - I got a little waylaid. This chapter is short but you can’t fail to notice that is is only the first part. Chapter four will pick up immediately prior to the end of chapter three so it’ll make sense as to why I’m splitting them I assure you. Enjoy!

Chapter Three

 

It felt like an eternity, just waiting. Waiting for her phone to buzz itself into life and provide the next step towards the end goal. It was almost instinct for Debbie to start tapping her fingers on the bar as the minutes ticked away. Watching the numbers on the screen counting up.

All around her, the same old faces ordering drinks, chatting away but it was like she couldn’t hear a single decibel of her surroundings. There was just her, the anxiety that came with the lack of any activity emanating from the device and the gradual self annoyance of the fact that she was actually going to put herself through this despite the fact that when it came down to it, Jasmine might not even want to know. 

Truthfully, there were moments where she wondered if she was really doing the right thing by trying to find Jas but then came back the memories. The time spent in each others company - the romantic walks, the kisses stolen when Debbie was supposed to be getting her hands dirty fixing up some old banger with a damaged Carburettor and the intimacy of waking up next to one another. Those moments of bliss would make up her mind for her whenever doubts arose. 

“Y’alright darlin’?” Charity asked from the other side of the bar, noticing her daughter’s absence of interest to what was going on around her. 

Debbie looked up for the first time in a good half an hour and arched her eyebrow. Sometimes Charity had a tendency of questions to which the answer was already quite clear. It probably wasn’t her fault, it was just basic instinct. Probably. 

“Just waiting for someone to call me back” she replied pointedly. 

The look of complete curiosity mixed with surprise that graced Charity’s face did not go unnoticed to the younger Dingle. 

“So...” Charity mused “...anyone I know?” 

Debbie rolled her eyes, trust her mother to pry. 

“Our Eli, if you must know” she retorted. 

Charity’s expression quickly became sour at the mention of the estranged relative and her daughter’s on/off ex lover. It almost made Debbie want to laugh. It seemed like there was always some animosity, somewhere in the Dingle family. 

“Debs, please tell me you’re not back in touch with that waste o’space” Charity pleaded.

She couldn’t help the smug smile crossing her face at her mothers questioning tone of voice. She’d never seem to have approved of most of her ex’s which was ironic as she’d got knocked up by one of them. 

“It’s not what you think” she sighed. 

Charity raised her eyebrows in mock surprise “then what is it?” 

She finally gave in trying to steer her mother off the subject, it simply wasn’t going to happen. She was like a dog with a bone when it came to other people’s personal lives. 

“Laurel told me that after Jasmine was released, she reached out to Eli a few times asking about me and the Thomas’s. Apparently Eli kept in touch with Darren and well long story short, she got Eli’s number from him and gave it to me. She thinks he could help me track her down” 

Charity’s heart sank at the admission. It was clear to her that her little girl was probably setting herself up for disappointment with this. Whether or not Debbie was even remotely aware of that seemed questionable at best.

“What?” Debbie grumbled as she clocked her mother’s negative reaction. 

All Charity could do was flap her hands out as she tried to find the right words to say. 

“Debs what if....what if Jasmine doesn’t want to be found? It’s been years babe. How can ya be sure that it was definitely her you saw the other day?” 

She looked at her mother through narrowed eyes, clunking her glass down hard on the glossed wood of the bar and fastening her jacket up to leave. 

“Oh Debs-“ 

“No mum” she angrily interjected “you said you were gonna support with this and so far all you’ve done is try and tell me that it’s not worth it!” 

“I’ve never said that!” Charity reasoned. 

Debbie laughed, pathetically predictable for her to try and play good cop. 

“Yeah not in so many words mother but the message is pretty clear. I’ve got stuff to do” 

She kept her head steadfast as she walked out of the pub, barely acknowledging her dad as she walked past him on his way in. With our without her mum’s support, she was going to see this through. 

 

_____________

 

“What the ‘ell were that about?” Cain demanded as he arrived at the bar. 

It wasn’t hard to tell that Charity didn’t want to talk about it, but Cain wasn’t the type to let up without getting the information he wanted and this was hardly an exception. 

Charity sighed “eurgh long story”

“I’ve got time” Cain remarked, eyebrow raised to amplify his desire to be given the truth.

The landlady shook her head. There was no getting out of this. Cain knew how to press her buttons alright. 

“Debbie wants to find Jasmine. She thinks that she saw her the other day after you took Jack to school...in fact she seems pretty certain that she did and now she’s got her heart set on finding the lass” she replied “I just tried to advise her not to get her hopes up in case Jasmine doesn’t want to be found...and here we are” 

The confusion in Cain’s face was clear as he looked around the pub, as if seeking some kind of clarity to what he’d heard from another punter. 

“Nah hang about...Debs is supposed to be getting ready for a weddin’....why the sudden interest in her ex?” 

Charity shrugged “maybe she’s having doubts about Joe, I mean I can hardly blame her if she is given the history there” 

Cain cocked his head slightly, maybe Charity actually had a point. History had proven that Joe wasn’t quite the philanthropic nice guy that he made out to be. 

“I mean I don’t like him anymore than you do” Cain scoffed “but she seems happy enough now, I don’t see why she’d suddenly be having doubts unless he’s done somethin’ to hurt her...in which case I’ll rearrange his face” 

Charity rolled her eyes, trust Cain Dingle to go straight on the offensive making threats. Although if Charity was being honest, she wanted to slap his stupid face every time she saw it. She didn’t trust Joe as far as she could throw him but she couldn’t fail to recognise that he seemed to make her daughter happy and he’d become a half decent father figure to Sarah. 

“What do you think I should do?” She asked tentatively.

Cain’s eyes lit up...Charity Dingle was asking for advice from him of all people? Things must have been serious indeed! 

“Look” he replied in a sincere tone “our Debs is stubborn, like her mother. Once she’s started somethin’ she sees it through regardless of the risks, right? All we can do is try and help her where we can. We’re her parents and she’s an adult now. She doesn’t have to listen to us anymore. She needs our support not criticism” 

Charity grinned as she placed a pint on the bar “Cain Dingle, going soft in your old age?” 

“Let’s not push it” he retorted with the makings of a small smile as he swallowed a mouthful of his drink. 

 

*******************************************

 

The walk back towards Home Farm was quiet, even for Emmerdale. The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of her boots occasionally kicking a stone or snapping the sticks that littered the road.

According to Debbie’s phone, the time was 10:30pm which meant that when she got home, Sarah and Jack would be fast asleep. Perhaps Joe would’ve waited up for her. Though that was probably more of a hope than an expectation as he had several meetings to attend to tomorrow morning. 

As she turned the last corner and prepared to take out her keys, her phone lit up and began to ring out loudly. 

_07595674503._

It was the same number on which she’d left the voicemail earlier in the day, meaning Eli had got the message and was finally responding. 

“Eli?” she asked cautiously. 

The familiar voice of her cousin responded. 

_“Alrigh’ Debs! I didn’t expect to hear from ya again like. Been years lass!”_

She almost wanted to giggle. All these years later and Eli still sounded exactly the same, as if no time had passed since she’d last heard that silly old voice.

“Er yeah” she replied nervously “how’ve you been?”

“ _Aye_ _not_ _bad_ _love_ _yeah,_ _so_ _what_ _can_ _I_ _do_ _ya_ _for_ , _I_ _bet_ _ya_ _didn’t_ _just_ _call_ _me_ _for_ _a_ _chinwag_ _eh?”_

Another thing that clearly hadn’t changed was that nothing got past Eli. He wasn’t as stupid as he made out to be.

“I need some information from you” Debbie admitted.

Eli laughed “ _oh_ _aye_? _What_ _about_ _exactly?”_

Debbie took a sharp intake of breath, knowing that the next thing that came out of her mouth would almost certainly not go down well.

“Jasmine”


End file.
